Root River Rod Co

Dave was incredibly knowledgeable and eager to share his experience with me - a newbie who wandered in off the street. He was very genuine and I can tell he enjoys helping others succeed. Stop in and buy a dozen flies. What you receive will be worth far more than the sticker price.

We did a full day float on the Root River. Our guide Brett was amazing. I was inexperienced and he worked with me and we caught/release or had on hook but lost 50+.

Staff was awesome from time we booked until trip was over

You won’t be disappointed with your trip

I am an experienced fly-fisherman but decided to call Root River Rod company to inquire about a guided float over a weekend my 13 year old son and I would be down in SE Minnesota. I wanted to float/fish the South Branch of the Root and also introduce and encourage my son to develop a similar interest and passion for fly fishing. Our guide, Bret Oeltjenbruns simply could not have been better in all facets of the experience. He put us on dozens and dozens of fish (as many missed strikes as fish caught!) and really took a keen interest in helping my son and ensuring he had a positive experience. He was able to accomplish all of this while navigating the boat perfectly and giving dad in the back of the boat some nice drifts and pockets to catch a lot of fish too. Bret is genuinely passionate about fishing and wanting others to experience the same joy he gets out of the sport, and has a great touch and connectivity with young and new anglers just getting into fly fishing. I cannot recommend Bret and Root River Rod Company highly enough to others. You do not need to travel to Montana, Wyoming or Colorado to have a truly awesome fly fishing experience. It is a little over 2 hours away for those of us who live in the Twin Cities!

My buddy and had a 4 day trip in the area. We stopped by the shop to support them by buying some sweet goods. Ended up talking a while and getting some tips for where to hit up. Had a great 4 hours after that on the water. Went back to the shop just before close and got some more flys for the rest of our trip. Also got some good advise on pizza in town. We cannot say enough great things about the kind of shop that makes you feel like family within minutes of being there. Can’t wait to come back to town and sling some flys.

Had a great day of fly fishing thanks to Jason Rieke and Larry Luiken. These guys were fantastic and our whole group is looking forward to our next trip. Thanks Jason and Larry!!

In the middle of historic Lanesboro, the shop has an array of quality merch, people ready to serve, and booking a guided trip was a snap. Steve, the owner, has done a great job restoring the building to boot…a must stop even for the novice outdoors person.

Larry and Marlene guided our family wading fly fishing trip, a first for us. The gear provided was topnotch as was their knowledge and approach to instruction and the day.

Steve and Billy the dog! Steve and Billy showed us a great time on our full-day float on the Root River. Billy came with us the whole day, and was so well behaved! Trout in the morning and smallmouth in the afternoon! Steve was a great guide and steward of the area. After returning to the shop that evening, Steve even did a live fly tying demonstration for us of the pattern we caught a bunch of smallies on that day. We had a great day, and can’t wait to be back! Go check out Steve, Billy and RRRC!

Lance and Steve are awesome! Both are very knowledgeable and passionate about fly fishing and helping others get out to enjoy the sport. 5 stars, two thumbs up, 10 out of 10 every time. I highly recommend Root River Rod co.

June 2022 Update:
I took my 86 y.o. grandpa on a float trip with Lance and had another absolute wonderful day! It was my grandfather's first time ever fly fishing even though he's fished conventionally his whole life. Lance is a great teacher. He started off with a short instructional lesson and soon after my grandpa was able to catch fish. It was a great day filled with laughs, stories, great camaraderie, forged new lifelong memories, learned a lot and (least important in my eyes) we caught a bunch of fish. On the drive home my grandpa asked "when are we doing that again? I haven't had that much fun in a long time." I cannot reiterate enough how amazing the whole crew is at Root River Rod Co.

Don't forget to pet Billy the shop dog while your there.

Geared primarily toward fly fishers, this is a one-stop shop for anything you’d need to have a good day on the water. They sell flies/fly tying supplies, rods, reels, clothing, waders, and anything else you can think of for the sport of fly fishing, along with a smattering of gear and lures for spin rods if that is your preference.

The shop also offers various books on good water around the area, and offers half-day and full-day guides for walk and wade or drift boat fishing.

The staff is very kind and knowledgeable and will help you find whatever you may need.

Came into Lanesboro for a family weekend and only had 2 hours to fish with my dad. I forgot my spinning reel at home, and when I went into Root River Rod Co. Dave was extremely helpful. He explained they didn't have any for sale but recommended some places that might have some in stock. Soon after he pulled out an old shimano reel and said I could borrow it for a day if I returned it. Dave was extremely kind and gave me a nice intro to what fly fishing is all about, I also bought my first couple flies from the shop and when I'm in the area next year I plan on trying out some fly fishing. Also caught my first wild brown trout ever on a borrowed reel from Dave.

Thanks again Dave for the great customer service and making me a fan of your store.

I just wanted to take a second to show gratitude for one of the guys in your shop, Wayne. Last weekend, I stumbled into the shop with a gifted fly rod kit and Wayne spent close to 3 hours walking me through the fly fishing basics in preparation for my first fly fishing trip. He pointed out the things that were broken and needed replacing, without selling me stuff I didn’t need. It was probably the most pleasant shopping experience I’ve had in a long time. After getting me set up with a new reel, backing and line, Wayne explained leaders and flies - making sure to set me up with his favorites for catching bass on the Mississippi. Not only did he get me water ready, he also took time to share his knowledge of the sport and provided me with resources like books and podcasts to further my knowledge of fly fishing. Needless to say, I left RRRC last weekend more excited and ready for our trip.

This place is legit. Even though it’s an hour away from me, I’ll make the trip every time to support such an awesome group of people! Look no further for all your fly fishing needs!

Stopped by here to pick up a few things we needed for our trip and ended up leaving with a great deal of knowledge regarding the areas streams and fly fishing in general. Extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and kind staff.

Had Larry for a guide for 1 and1/2 days. It was wonderful. He was knowledgeable, friendly and very skilled. The fishing was exceptional w very many quality browns. The shop is well stocked. I've fished w many guides in many states and RRRC is right on top.

My partner and I booked a guided fly fishing trip, and even as first timers the experience was wonderful. The shop itself was very accommodating. Staff was knowledgeable and very helpful and had everything we needed. Our guide, Shane, listened to what our goals were and catered our trip around them. He made the trip an amazing experience for both of us. We would recommend this shop and Shane to anyone wanting to fly fish, it is worth the trip to Lanesboro.

Neat shop with excellent boat guided excursions. As first time fly fishers, Lance was very knowledgeable and patient with my husband and me. He taught us how to cast and told us right where to fish. He even played scorekeeper and judge in our domestic competition. I won. 😁 We will definitely be going on another trip with Lance and would recommend this shop to anyone who has wanted to try fly fishing but finds it intimidating. It was a wonderful experience.

Bret was an excellent guide. It was my dad’s first time fly fishing and we caught many fish and had a great day!

I have been fishing the Root River for years but was looking for some advice on how to catch larger fish specifically using streamers. My brother and I went out with Lance for a day on the drift boat and learned a lot of techniques to fish for larger trout and had some great luck bringing in some large browns and rainbows. While we were out fishing, Steve fixed a damaged bamboo rod that we brought in and had it ready when our drift boat trip was complete. We had a great day on the river, learned a lot of techniques that I can use in the future, and found a great resource for rod repair. I will be going back to Root River Rod Co.

Our experience with Root River Rod Co. could only be described as exceptional. Marlene’s two hour casting lesson was eye opening. She is a FFI certified Casting Instructor who shares her skills with patience, kind direction and expertise. Lance directed our float down the Root River with incredible knowledge of the rivers currents and river bottom structure/composition. He knows where the trout are lurking. Lance, like Marlene, is personable, patient, and above all, professional. Steve, the Root River Rod Co. owner has put together a great team and a wonderfully equipped shop. If you want to experience a terrific float down the Root River fishing for trout we would strongly suggest calling Root River Rod Co..

My favorite fly shop in the midwest. They are always helpful when you're unsure of what to use. Great advice for beginners. I listened as one of the employees described swing fishing a wet hackle to a novice fisherman. It was so descriptive and he made it sound so exciting that I decided to set side the nymphs that evening and hit the wet hackles. Had an awesome evening with over a dozen trout in about an hour (and about a dozen "dammits" as he called them). I love the store, the atmosphere, the advice, and the chatter. Wouldn't miss a stop at the Root River Rod Co.

My significant and I recently made our first foray into fly fishing and ended up at the Root River Rod Company. Armed with newly purchased rods and little else beyond enthusiasm ...we booked a half day guided tour with Shane. Upon arrival we were met with hot lattes and warmly welcomed into the world of fly fishing. The staff was amazing in both their knowledge and their patience, and Shane did an outstanding job teaching us the fundamentals of fly fishing. We had a great experience fishing Trout run creek with Shane as our guide and would highly recommend the folks at Root River Rod Company for your next trout fishing experience!